18 It All Started 5 Years Ago

Anirudh's brows knotted. "You were forced to marry him? Why? The way you speak of him, it's clear that you loved him."

Shivani looked at him sharply. "I still love him," she asserted, her stare fixed on Anirudh, who scrutinised her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"OK, but why do you say that you were forced to marry him?" he questioned again, completely flabbergasted now.

Shivani gave out a wry smile. "It seems so strange, when I think back now. You know, every one tells me that I have the ability to gauge a person's character in just one meeting. But despite my gut feeling and every instinct screaming to me that he was not what he portrayed himself to be, I hated him. I abhorred him from the depths of my heart; his arrogance, his nonchalance, his I-care-a-damn attitude, I detested everything about him. But, now when I think back about it, I know the reason why he evoked such strong passions within me. I think I didn't know how else to react. I was too proud to admit that I was falling for him."

Anirudh was getting agitated with every word Shivani spoke. Mrityunjay might have been wronged by the law, he might have been innocent, but Anirudh couldn't tolerate the woman he loved, praising another man, the way she was. He

cut her short. "You are wasting my time ma’m," he said curtly. "I am not interested in knowing your feelings and hurt. I want to know what had happened... Facts," he butt in.

But Shivani was beyond caring. The past beckoned her into its warm cocoon and she had surrendered to the cozy memories of when she had just begun to fall in love with Mrityunjay.

5 Years Ago, Mumbai, Gaekwad House

It was a busy time in the Gaekwad house, as though the entire household was going to war. It was election time in Maharashtra and the eldest son of the Gaekwad house or as Godha liked to believe, the only son of Gaekwad House,

Milind Gaekwad was fighting elections as the Chief Ministerial candidate of Swaraj Party. After nearly 20 odd years, finally the time had come for her dream to be fulfilled.

Over the last 3 elections, Godha had been trying to get herself elected as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, but success eluded her. The people of Maharashtra were not ready for a woman as their Chief Minister, or at least this was her excuse for failure. But the truth was, Godha was a selfish and two faced woman, sweet and charming to talk to but lethal behind the back.

No one in the party trusted her enough to elect her the leader of the party. Her being a woman was a convenient excuse to put her off any further positions of power. So, she had made Milind her weapon. What Swapnil couldn't achieve for her, Milind would. She had been grooming him right from birth, for a career in politics. He was a lawyer by education, an excellent orator, with a charming personality and supremely ambitious.

Another reason for the party members to distrust Godha, was her proximity to Swamy Brihannala. There was no one in Maharashtra who had not heard of Swamy Brihannala. Over the years this Swamy, trained in Black Magic from a

secret society of priests in Kerala, had quickly gained huge following for answering questions and solving problems of her followers. She was also rumoured to be Godha's guru, advising her on matters of politics, family matters, financial dealings... everything. It was also rumoured, that it was due to Swamy Brihannala, that Godha kept Mrityunjay away from the Gaekwad House.

Mrityunjay, though not officially a member of the Swaraj party, helped in any way he could, in his brother's first big elections. He believed Milind was a capable leader and wanted to see him win. Though not friends, Milind and Mrityunjay had reconciled to the fact that they would both be present in each other's lives, till one of them died.

They were cordial to each other, though they maintained their distance. But, for the outside world, they were one family and neither tolerated a third person remarking about anyone in the family.

Godha was happy with the way things were going. Soon, her son was going to be the Chief Minister. She sat on the huge teakwood swing in the lobby of the house on the first floor and was watching TV coverage of her son's campaign.

She heard a huge noise of glass breaking, as she sipped her afternoon tea.

Milind was holding Mrityunjay's collar, both men glaring into each other's faces, in front of the party cadres. Godha's smile vanished and she decided to come down.

"I am that close to winning this elections," Milind was saying, waving his fingers up in the air. "If anything goes wrong NOW, and that too because of you, it won’t be pleasant,” he warned his step brother. Both the brother's were tall, well built , bulls.

"I am trying to help you," countered Mrityunjay, calmly.

"How? By singing and dancing with those lowly people? You may not feel like one, but remember, you are now a part of the Gaekwad family and learn to behave like one," Milind reprimanded.

Godha stood at the foot of the stairs and waved for all present in the room to leave them alone. "If I find out that news about what happened here has leaked to the media, none of you will be alive," she said, smiling sweetly. The crowd

dispersed in silence.

"Milind... my dear... you shouldn't take so much stress," she said, looking at her son. She never glanced at Mrityunjay and it was the same today too. By now, he had become immune to being treated the way he was. "Now, tell mummy

what happened exactly," she said, in her saccharine voice.

"I had given money to our boys to buy some liquor and biryani packets and distribute them. And this Daan Veer Karna, took that money and has got some poor girl’s marriage arranged... wasted all my money,” he complained to his

mother.

Mrityunjay peered at his brother and mother, his eyes devoid of any emotion. "You were going to spend that money to destroy their lives and I spent that money to do some good in their lives; makes a huge difference. Now they will treat you like God and vote for you anyways. Call some media persons and get pictures clicked with the newly wed couple. It will be great publicity before the elections," he pronounced in a flat voice and walked out of the hall.

The mother son duo were left staring as he left and Godha's face showed lines of concern and worry.